1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to apparatus for use in hoisting or raising poles which support a tent, and, more particularly, to such apparatus for moving the lower end of a tent pole so as to place the tent pole in a substantially vertical position on raising the tent.
2. Description of Related Art
It is necessary in erecting large tents (e.g., circus tents) to position one or more supporting tent poles in a vertical relationship, the upper end of the poles being secured in a suitable manner to the tent wall material and a lower end of each pole being positioned on the ground. A generally employed technique at the present time for erecting such poles is to place a skid member under the pole and manually move the pole with tent material carried on the upper end of the pole to the desired location, all of which requires levering of tent sides and ceiling to the raised position.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,248,157, TENT POLE HOISTING APPARATUS, by Maury Rice, assigned to the same assignee as the subject patent application, discloses a unitary arrangement of a skid plate with an end retainer within which the lower end of a tent pole is positioned and a pair of wheels are permanently mounted to the skid plate. In use, after the pole has its lower end received in the retainer a cable attached to the entire assembly is then pulled substantially horizontally of the ground and rolling the retainer to a position elevating the tent pole vertically. The wheel assembly remains secured to the end of the pole throughout use of the tent and exposed to the view of those entering and using the tent. The continued presence of the wheels and associated apparatus mounted to the skid plate not only destroys aesthetics but also takes up space and can be tripped over or at least obstructs normal passage of equipment and individuals within the tent.